Every year since its inception in 1954, the Sahitya Akademi awards prizes to the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the major Indian languages recognised by it. The award carries a monetary component (Rs. 40, 000) and a plaque. Twenty two awards are given to literary works in the languages recognised by the Academi and an equal number to literary translations from and into the languages of India, both after an year-long process of scrutiny, discussion and selection. The awards are meant to recognise and promote excellence in Indian writing and expanding the very definition of Indian literature by acknowledging new trends and movements. They are a reflection of current tastes and contribute to the formation of an Indian sensibility.
| Year |
Book |
Author |
| 2004 |
The Mammaries of the Welfare State (Novel) |
Upamanyu Chatterjee |
| 2003 |
The Perishable Empire: Essays On Indian Writing In English (Essays) |
Meenakshi Mukherjee |
| 2002 |
A New World (Novel) |
Amit Chaudhuri |
| 2001 |
Rajaji : A Life (Biography) |
Rajmohan Gandhi |
| 2000 |
Cuckold (Novel) |
Kiran Nagarkar |
| 1999 |
The collected poems of A. K. Ramanujan (Poetry) |
*A. K. Ramanujan |
| 1998 |
Final Solutions and Other Plays (Plays) |
Mahesh Dattani |
| 1996 |
Memories of Rain (Novel) |
Sunetra Gupta |
| 1994 |
Serendip (Poetry) |
Dom Moraes |
| 1993 |
After Amnesia: Tradition and Change in Indian Literary Criticism (Criticism) |
G.N. Devy |
| 1992 |
Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra (Short stories) |
Ruskin Bond |
| 1991 |
The Trotter-Nama (Novel) |
I. Allan Sealy |
| 1990 |
That Long Silence (Novel) |
Shashi Deshpande |
| 1989 |
The Shadow Lines (Novel) |
Amitav Ghosh |
| 1988 |
The Golden Gate (Novel in verse) |
Vikram Seth |
| 1987 |
Trapfalls in the Sky (Poetry) |
Shiv K. Kumar |
| 1986 |
Rich Like Us (Novel) |
Nayantara Sahgal |
| 1985 |
Collected Poems (Poetry) |
Kamala Das |
| 1984 |
The Keeper of the Dead (Poetry) |
Keki N. Daruwalla |
| 1983 |
Latter-Day Psalms (Poetry) |
Nissim Ezekiel |
| 1982 |
The Last Labyrinth (Novel) |
Arun Joshi |
| 1981 |
Relationship (Poetry) |
Jayant Mahapatra |
| 1980 |
On the Mother, Vol. I & II (Biography) |
K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar |
| 1979 |
Inside the Haveli (Novel) |
*Rama Mehta |
| 1978 |
Fire on the Mountain (Novel) |
Anita Desai |
| 1977 |
Azadi (Novel) |
Chaman Nahal |
| 1976 |
Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1947) (Biography) |
S. Gopal |
| 1975 |
Scholar Extraordinary (Biography) |
Nirad C. Chaudhury |
| 1971 |
Morning Face (Novel) |
Mulk Raj Anand |
| 1969 |
An Artist in Life (Study of Tagore) |
Niharranjan Ray |
| 1967 |
Shadow from Ladakh (Novel) |
Bhabani Bhattacharya |
| 1965 |
The Tribal World of Verrier Elwin (Autobiography) |
Verrier Elwin |
| 1963 |
The Serpent and the Rope (Novel) |
Raja Rao |
| 1960 |
The Guide (Novel) |
R.K. Narayan |
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(No awards in 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1995 and 1997) |
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